Peptidoglycan architecture dictates protein interactions, tissue tropism, and arthritis in the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi.

ABSTRACT: Lyme disease is a vector-borne illness transmitted by infected Ixodes spp. ticks. Dissemination of the Lyme spirochete-Borrelia burgdorferi-from the tick bite site results in a bi-phasic infection; the latter phase can cause severe musculoskeletal disease including arthritis. Lyme arthritis is an inflammatory disorder and maladaptive immune response to B. burgdorferi infection and its cellular products. One such product, which has been implicated as a key mediator of Lyme arthritis, is peptidoglycan. Peptidoglycan (PG) is a near ubiquitous feature of the bacterial cell envelope, but several chemical features make B. burgdorferi PG distinct from other members of the kingdom. We hypothesized the overall chemical composition and structural architecture of the B. burgdorferi cell wall are esse

SUBMITTER: Ahmad SS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12818604 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature